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40 Times People Failed To Remember What A Simple Thing Is Called So They Came Up With The Most Hilarious New Name
We're all familiar with this strange feeling of casually gliding through a conversation when, suddenly, our minds go blank. "Oh, what’s the name of that thing," we might say. "I'm sure it starts with an A or something..." We're talking about this tormenting sense of being on the verge of remembering a word or a name but failing to retrieve it, no matter how hard we try.
As our minds desperately wander for the right way to express ourselves and fill the temporary void, there's only one thing left to do — come up with a new one. Ideally, you would immediately think of the perfect word that captures the essence of what you were about to say. But that’s rarely the case. So Redditor the_slippery_shoe decided to learn more about these hilarious blunders and reached out to Ask Reddit with a question: "What's the funniest name you've heard someone call an object when they couldn't remember its actual name?"
From "Carpet Banjo" to "moo beasts" and "disco chickens", the things people came up with might be officially absorbed into our vocabularies. We at Bored Panda gathered some of the funniest responses from the thread, so make sure to read them right below. Upvote the ones that made you chuckle and share your own mishaps with us in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Boyfriend's mother once referred to a peacock as a disco chicken.
TheEndIsNigh 3 years ago
OMG!!!! I ❤️ THAT! Peacock 🦚 is now officially a disco chicken. The end.
Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 3 years ago
Yup, I agree. They are, from this point on, christened Disco Chickens forever!
Load More Replies... Eleni Aggeliki 3 years ago (edited)
I teach English. I described the peacock as "chicken drag queen". Everyone understood immediately what I meant.
Seanette Blaylock 3 years ago
My cat is now glaring at me for interrupting her nap by laughing so hard.
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Debbie Burns 3 years ago
Mental note~ Peacocks are now called Disco Chickens. We need to start a Change.Org IMMEDIATELY
Caleb R 3 years ago
This is one of the few Change.org petitions I would absolutely sign!
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CD Mills 3 years ago
When my oldest granddaughter was around four we (her mom, dad, her, and I) went to Denny's for coffee. As we were waiting in line to pay there were a few people waiting for tables. One of them was an older teen boy that had a dyed red, blue and green Mohawk and when J(granddaughter) saw him she exclaimed, "Mommy, look, he's a beautiful Chicken!". The kid thought it was hilarious and started telling all of his friends what she had said.
C.Douglas 3 years ago
There's a minor league baseball team in North Carolina called the Disco Turkeys. Their logo is excellent
Memere 3 years ago
I just looked them up & yes, that is a most excellent logo! I kinda want to order a t-shirt with the Disco Turkey on it, lol
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RELATED:
#2
Couldn't remember groomsmen, went with dudesmaids instead.
Nimues Child 3 years ago
Dudesmaids should be used in more weddings! Maybe people would relax and enjoy their weddings more!
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We are certain we know the word we are looking for. The missing term is just within arm’s reach, but for some reason, we find it impossible to recall. We end up feeling frustrated, unsure of our abilities and surprised by how these failures can occur even with the most common words we use. Interestingly, this experience has a scientific term — the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon. As you can guess, it derives from the phrase "it's on the tip of my tongue" and psychologists define it as a feeling that accompanies the momentary inability to retrieve information from memory.
William James was the first psychologist to describe the TOT phenomenon, though he did not label it as such. "The state of our consciousness is peculiar. There is a gap therein; but no mere gap. It is a gap that is intensely active. A sort of wraith of the name is in it, beckoning us in a given direction, making us at moments tingle with the sense of our closeness and then letting us sink back without the longed-for term," he explained in Principles of Psychology in 1890.
#3
My ex called an animal shelter a 'cat refugee camp', I couldn't f*****g breathe
Teresa J Minkner 3 years ago
We got our kitty from what my husband referred to as "the used cat lot".
Kim Lorton 2 years ago
Sounds right , but at those refugee camps, you can get adopted if you are lucky!
#4
I forgot the word for ‘exterminator’ so I used ‘ant exorcist’ instead.
third molar 3 years ago
By brother couldn't remember the word calculator and just called it "math-box"
GoddessOdd 3 years ago
I command thee, in the name of all things Holy, to LEAVE THIS PLACE, harming nothing and no one in the going, never to return! Begone ants!
Magna Linnevers 3 years ago
Waay better, but I would change it to Bug Exorcist instead. I would hire them!
Firestorm Glow 3 years ago
Once I was trying to say 'I'm an extravert' but I forgot what it was and I said 'I'm an exorcist' instead XD
#5
My friend couldn't remember the word "cow" for some reason, so she googled "moo beast" to remember.
censorshipsucks 3 years ago
I love funny animal names, like fart squirrel, trash panda, danger noodle, etc
Mark Fuller 3 years ago
I was doing roast lamb for dinner and couldn't think of the word. Somehow, "Sheeplet" sounds so much more cruel!
Jill McElroy 3 years ago
Not to be confused with the “rats with fur coats” AKA-squirrels
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GoddessOdd 3 years ago
A friend once told me to look at a boy moo, as we drove past a pasture. I asked if she meant bull and she said "that's the word!"
To learn more about this experience and how widespread it is, we reached out to John Richard Hanley, emeritus professor of neuropsychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex, who studies the tip-of-the-tongue states. Studies have revealed that everyone experiences the inability to retrieve words and information from their memories, and it occurs frequently in everyday life. "As far as we know, the TOT phenomenon is universal," the professor told Bored Panda. "Most languages contain a specific term for a TOT. Moreover, TOTs have been shown to occur even in speakers of a language that does not have a dedicated expression for TOTs."
#6
To this day most of my family refers to a strainer/colander as a "noodle stay, water go" because my older brother called it that once when he couldn't find it and needed to ask where it was.
Ali H M Salehuddin 3 years ago
Not related. This is just something that I just realized. To persons who learn English as a second language, colander isn't a word they necessarily know, even when they get fluent in it. It not used in daily conversations and it not used at their home either (conversing in their own mother tongue). Colander and many other kitchen items are used in very specific situation (ie in a kitchen). I never heard of it until I was in the US and I had to cook myself. When I came back to my home country I never used that word again.
GoddessOdd 3 years ago
My Greek roommate couldn't remember 'spatula' so he asked me to hand him the flip flop. I still use the term.
Fiona Parky 3 years ago
In my family this is a “holio bowlio”. Because my husband managed to convince my entire family that’s the Welsh for colander. I wouldn’t mind so much but my family actually speak Welsh!
LandAhoy (she/they) 3 years ago
Does anyone know what the Welsh for colander is? Google translate claims the Welsh word is simply "colander". "Rhidyll" however has a wide variety of English translations including sieve, griddle, grill and riddle.
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Aidan Pite 3 years ago
One time I had a brain fart and told my GF 'we need to get 2lbs of the... the... the green stuff.' She thought I was talking about weed. I was talking about spinach for spanakopitas.
Lisa Zehr 3 years ago
She thinks you regularly buy TWO POUNDS of it?! Where do you live and can I come over?
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Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent 3 years ago
This reminds me of a similar kitchen issue we have with my mum. She always forgets the words for everything, but particularly, Yorkshire puddings. I don't know if you have these in the states but it's like a soft savoury batter type thing you have with roast dinner. My mum can never remember it and as such for about 25 years at roast dinners including Christmas, everyone always asks if anyone would like any more "little round yellow things". It's pretty descriptive, I've got to give her that.
#7
Back in 90s I was 14 and begging my mom to let me go to a Guns n Roses concert..
I kept nagging until she got frustrated but couldnt remember the band name and said:
"I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO TO ANY DAMN DEATH AND FLOWERS CONCERT"
I couldnt stop laughing
Jann Houley 3 years ago
I once went to a conference (in Australia) with my elderly boss who was friends with the hotel manager, told me there was a practice ‘jig’ (gig) in the basement with a famous band called ‘Rifles and Petals, I think’. Nearly skipped it… first person I saw was Slash!!!
Scotira 3 years ago
Good for all of you who got to see them in the 90s. Went to see them in 2006 bc in the 90s my mom would have said "I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO TO ANY DAMN DEATH AND FLOWER CONCERT" too 🤣🤣 and sadly they were BAD! Not badaśs, just bad 😢😭😭
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Lizzy Crit 3 years ago
These damn kids with their Scary Discos and Unreasonable Number of Pilots...
Mrs Spigot 3 years ago
I mentioned Guns and Roses at work recently and two of my colleagues said "is that a band or something", clearly I have lived too long.
Memere 3 years ago
I had a similar experience some years back - I was humming "Yellow Submarine" & a younger colleague asked me what it was. Told him it was a Beatles song & he said "who is that?". I could barely breathe from the shock. Then I made him google the Beatles. Gotta open these kids minds!!!
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Rae Tardif 3 years ago
Vodka Flowers ... because I couldn't remember the band's name Gin Blossoms
YetAnotherSarah 3 years ago
Mid 90s, had to figure out my mom was referring to Smashing Pumpkins when she brought up "Squashing Grapes."
Prune Tracy 3 years ago
I hope you got to go in the end! GnR/Metallica was my first big concert as a kid. My dad took me. He wasn't a fan of the music, but he told me he liked the part where the girls lifted their shirts up. #FatherSonBonding
Thee8thsense 3 years ago
A friend went to a Widespread Panic concert and I asked him how the Manic Depression show was...
#8
I know a german who learned english in wales, its the most amazing cluster f**k of accents.
Anyway, a dog ran off with his gloves and he chased after it shouting, 'come back with my hand shoes!'
Na Schi 3 years ago (edited)
Oh, that nasty little false friend... been there done that myself. (The German word for gloves is Handschuhe which literally translates to hand shoes).
Fat Harry 3 years ago
That's not a false friend. A false friend is where the same (or very similar) word has different meanings in two languages. For example, "preservative" in English means jam, but "préservatif" in French means condom.
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Zaza 3 years ago
Wellm they are called that in German (and in Dutch too). Handschuhe literally translates to hand shoes
Dorothy Reiser 3 years ago
Well, gloves in Japanese are literally "hand bag" so it's pretty close.
Fiona Parky 3 years ago
I had a French teacher who was German, raised in Ireland, then moved to wales. I had French family (thank goodness) because her French had to be heard to be believed. She had an Irish accent so pronounced that three became tree. It wouldn’t have been a problem but her pronunciations of French was exactly the same, strong Irish accent. She pronounced “oui” as “weh”, “vert” was pronounced as “vort” and “je suis” was pronounced as something similar to the name Jesus.
Cecilia 3 years ago
That would be the Cantonese translation, my mom still calls gloves hand socks
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G Naoma Roos 3 years ago
Reminds me of the Greek man I worked for (restaurant owner) in my 20’s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - amazing combo of Greek accent and that heavy, Pittsburghese accent (look up Pittsburgh Dad on YouTube). Plus that time I pronounced “Gyro” correctly and he said, “A what!?” Me: “A JAI-ROH?” Him: “Ohhh! Yee-roh, yee-roh. Okay.” Me: 🤦🏻 “I’m so sorry.” Great food though. He laughed the whole thing off and muttered something about a vacation. 😄
Jill Sophia 3 years ago
Actually, "yee-ro" IS the correct pronunciation when it's written in the original Greek — we read it as "jai-ro" because that's what the English-language spelling looks like. And yeah, it really is great food!
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Santhe van der Meulen 3 years ago
The Dutch word for glove is actually hand shoes (handschoenen)
This phenomenon might be global, but there seems to be no universally accepted cause for using the wrong words or misspeaking from time to time. However, there are scientific theories that try to explain it. "Some researchers claim that the TOT experience exists in order to tell you that you know the elusive name and that you might be able to retrieve it if you spend more time attempting recall," Hanley said.
"TOT states can occur for common names and for all types of proper names," the professor added. "However, they are particularly frequent for names of people. Long names are more prone to TOTs than short names."
#9
A polish exchange student was thirsty after a nightout and didn't know what to say. He pointed to his mouth and said Sahara.
AnnaBanananna 3 years ago (edited)
Where is the “battle unicorn” for rhino? It’s not on the list
Justin Kantner 3 years ago
think that was a kid who said it, and it seems the post is focusing on adults.
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Cara G 3 years ago
I used to work with a doctor who is Chinese, Mandarin is his first language. One day he came back from his lunch and was trying to tell the staff that it had started lightly raining outside. He told us "it's spritzing" because he couldn't remember the word "sprinkling". I've used it for 20 years now 🤣
#10
Couple weeks ago I was getting a pack of darts, needed some change for parking meters. As the girl is getting my change out I was panicked, what is it called? My mind blank all I could get out of my dumb maw was "can I have my change in metal money?". In my 30s and the word coin apparently got replaced by some dumb s**t I likely read here
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
In Germany, small change ist sometimes referred to as "Klimpergeld", that is "money that jingles" - fits the description perfectly!
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T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
Every time I learn something new, I forget something old, like that time I took a wine tasting class and forgot how to drive.
Al B. Wright 3 years ago
Lol, I think we'd all forget to drive in that scenario! 🤪
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Karri Berkowitz 3 years ago
Worked as a cashier and would need change but could never remember "nickels", it happened so much everyone knew what the "not dimes" meant.
Eric Mac Fadden 3 years ago
He would sue beggars, because people gave'em all for free
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Gin. No tonic 3 years ago
In my country it's quite normal to call coins "metal", as in at the shop "do you have metal?" (Do you have coins?)
#11
Christmas Llama instead of reindeer.
That'sEndorable 3 years ago
When North Americans couldn't think of "reindeer," they came up with "caribou."
Hobby Hopper 3 years ago
Almost. Caribou are the undomesticated kind. Reindeer are domesticated.
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We were curious to learn what happens to people when they experience these cognitive issues. Hanley explained that when in a TOT state, "we can recall detailed biographical information about the person; it is only the name that is elusive." Moreover, "we generally even know whether the elusive name contains 2 words (e.g. Gwyneth Paltrow) or 3 words (e.g. Jamie Lee Curtis)."
It’s hard to deny that experiencing a TOT moment can be extremely annoying. After all, it’s not that you can’t remember the concept of that word but that you can’t find a way to express it. When something does trigger your memory and you finally find the language label you were looking for, you feel a wave of relief sweep over your frustration. "One researcher made the point that a TOT can be as intense as a feeling that you are about to sneeze, so I assume that this is true," the professor said.
#12
My boyfriend thought it was clever when I asked what the right word was for "an angry parade". ....a protest.
Ellie McGrath 3 years ago
I’ll call my annoying cousins next SJW cause just that. Should elicit steam from her ears
#13
Once when my husband was on pain meds (after having surgery), he asked for a "cylindrical water storage device." Cup. He wanted a cup.
Brian Meyer 3 years ago
Hello, fellow human. You has cylindrical water storage device. Ah! This is good beverage.
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Laura Ketteridge 3 years ago
I made a mistake when I was being anesthetized just before an emergency C-section. I was asked how I was going to spell my child's name. After pondering for a moment, and realising I could no longer spell, I answered 'Palindromicallly'. They bumped up the anesthetic! :( Wish they had had been clearer in their questioning. If I knew they were looking for chemically induced mental impairment I would have told them that spelling was no longer an option.
Mrs Spigot 3 years ago
Once had a older gent with dementia ask me for a nose sheet. He meant tissue.
Brandy Reed 3 years ago
My husband was just in a car accident and our 6 year old nephew asked me if he was coming home with Hold-Up Sticks. My brain instantly thought “why would the hospital send him home with a knife?? Crutches. He meant crutches.
#14
I can't remember who said it, but ever since I heard a person call a cupcake a party muffin they are permanently renamed in my mind.
Isabel Care 3 years ago
In the cake decoration section, I keep looking for sugar wings, feet and hands, so I can have bits of fairy in my fairy cakes
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Robb MacDonald 3 years ago
When my daughter was 7 she qas talking about cupcakes with someone and they had said that they liked cupcakes better without the frosting. Without missing a beat my daughter says, "that's not a cupcake that's a muffin"
Robert Trebor 3 years ago
You do know that if you lick the icing off of a cupcake, it becomes a muffin, and muffins are healthy.
relaxinandchillaxin 3 years ago
yup, disco chicken and party muffin have officially been added to my lexicon
Moreover, it seems that this phenomenon becomes more frequent with age. Word-finding problems are nearly a stereotypical element of the cognitive issues that trouble older adults. "We do indeed experience more TOTs in old age, and this is particularly true for the names of familiar people," the professor added. Diary studies have found that TOTs occur about once a week for younger adults and increase to about once a day for older adults. Also, researchers consider that this is caused by older adults showing retrieval failure of known words, and needing more "search" time to find the awol word.
#15
At Target, I asked for "a can of bug-murder". I forgot "insecticide" or even "bug spray". The dude took it in stride, didn't flinch.
Brian Meyer 3 years ago
Hat's of to the Target guy. "Oh! What's it called again? A can of bug murder?" "Yup. You nailed it. That'll be $7.32."
Hobby Hopper 3 years ago
Reminds me of the time I meant to ask for "Testors" paint and accidentally said "testes". The sails clerk didn't flinch then either.
PC 3 years ago
when typing I've accidentally put the 'r' word instead of 'regarding' [and then. upon realising that. edited it]. omygod.
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Michelle Reynolds 3 years ago
Mosquito spray brand in the US is called 'OFF"-friends and I were wandering the store saying "we need to get off" lol
Betsy Green 3 years ago
As a former store worker, I can verify we can figure out most anything, but I got stumped occasionally. My favs over the years were: 'the famous candy with chocolate' she wanted Heath bars. Another wanted 'plastic things for the bathroom' it took several minutes of running all over & trying every related item to figure out she wanted drawer divider baskets. My fav would be the guy who wanted 'shoe sponges. After a bit of description I knew he wanted innersoles.
Robyn Stephens 3 years ago (edited)
Homicide is human killing and so is Genocide and a bug is an insect so bug-murder instead of insecticide is spot on.
#16
I once had to listen to my mother tell a 10 minute story about all the honkers she saw at the park.
Geese. She meant geese.
Terilee Bruyere 3 years ago
Is she Canadian? Canada Geese are often called Honkers. There are even dumpsters labeled for 'honker droppings' in some parks.
#17
My mom referred to Guitar Hero as "Carpet Banjo" one time. Me and my friends still call it that.
Linda Livorsi 3 years ago
My daughter at 10 called the movie The Parent Trap....the Family Cage...classic
But it turns out that getting some exercise and leading a healthy life could protect us against language decline in old age. Katrien Segaert, lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham found in her latest study that fitter people are less likely to experience TOT moments than those who lack fitness. "We found that the higher the older person’s aerobic fitness level was, the lower their odds of experiencing a tip-of-the-tongue moment," she wrote. "A person’s age and the number of words a person knows also determine the frequency of experiencing tip-of-the-tongue moments. What is important is that the relationship between the frequency of tip-of-the-tongue moments and aerobic fitness levels exists over and above the influence of a person’s age and vocabulary size."
#18
Couldn't remember the word Athlete so I went with Sportician.
Mary Hiers 3 years ago
Once I couldn't for the life of me remember cartoon character Speedy Gonzalez' first name (Speedy). I was like, "You know, the little cartoon mouse! His last name is Gonzalez! He's really, really fast! It's some other word for fast!" Not my finest moment.
#19
"Long sleeved shorts" I forgot the word for pants.
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
My toddler once called them 'longs'. I though that was a great name! Toddlers in general come up with absolutely brilliant names for things they haven't learned the words for yet.
Grace Austin 3 years ago
One time I needed a short sleeved shirt and shorts from the dryer, and I asked my mom for a short-pants top and short sleeved pants 😂
Jill McElroy 3 years ago
got one kid who thinks pants should always be optional. (For her only tho. Gawd! She does NOT want to see you walking around without pants, mom!!!) She’d give you all her pants if she could. (And, I’ve learned there’s a whole community of you heathens. 😉 meh, IDC, I’m cold most of the time, so I’m pro-pants for that reason.) Turns out said kid has sensory defensiveness, which is probably a large part of why moray anti-pants people feel this way. Go figure.
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Andrea Squires 3 years ago
My daughter, at 3, didn't know the word for 'trouser leg' so called them leg sleeves.
#20
My buddy once referred to an air horn as 'spray scream'.
Very Confused Gay Potato 🥔 3 years ago
This reminds me of like, a Charlie Brown thanksgiving where Lucy has Beethoven in a can
Barb Dubree 3 years ago
My friend's Mom told some people her daughter was an alcoholic who worked too much. She meant "workaholic".
#21
Growing up, we had a piece of furniture that we didn't know what to call. Was it a bureau? A dresser?
We agreed to call it "Uncle Fred." We forget that's weird until we have company.
Firstname Lastname 3 years ago
"Hey honey, can you go get me a pair of my underwear from Uncle Fred?"
Monday 3 years ago
"Oh that reminds me, we need to wash Uncle Fred tonight. I spilled baby powder all over today".
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Izzy Curer 3 years ago (edited)
We have an air purifier named Laird. I got drunk one night and put a googly eye on him to balance out the 'on' light on the other side, and made him a red 'hello my name is' nametag. He looks like a cyborg going on a business trip.
Bianca Saville 3 years ago
My dad had a penknife called uncle Lou because it had belonged to Lou. It sounded weird in conversation though. "Can you pass me uncle Lou from the kitchen drawer" sort of thing.
Amanda Easterday 3 years ago
We call ours Chester. Chest of drawers has been bastardized to Chester drawers where I live and I’ve always found it hilarious!
Robert T 3 years ago
There are some weird names for furniture. A wardrobe on top of a set of draws is called a Tallboy. My mum actually got this as the answer to a crossword clue and for quite some time afterwards she was known affectionately as "Tallboy". See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallboy_(furniture)
New Everywhere 3 years ago
As much as I love vintage furniture I can't believe I haven't done this
El Dee 3 years ago
There's SO MUCH of this family weirdness everywhere. But in big families not only will some people not know it's weird, they'll actively argue that their weirdness is the correct way to say it..
Hobby Hopper 3 years ago
I knew someone who though "pasghetti" was correct until almost an adult.
Load More Replies... #22
When my sister was young, she didn't know the word "cemetary" so she just called it a "dead-people field".
Indosidius 3 years ago
Now that would imply that people are grown there.... scary thought, are you from the Matrix?
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Linda Thompson-chlon 1 year ago
My kid sister called it a "dead people park" and when can we go so she could play there.
#23
At one point I started googling "map of the year" because my brain short-circuited and I couldn't recall the word "calendar".
Mark Wilson 3 years ago
hello, and welcome to the 2022 Map of the Year awards! Now entering the red carpet area is the famous Winkel tripel, and who's that behind him? Yes, It's that exciting new up-and-comer, Gott-Goldberg-Vanderbei!
raincloud the whalien 2 years ago
It's BTS next album after Map of the Soul, what's wrong with that?
Alice Parsons 3 years ago
I pictured a lavish awards ceremony hosted by actual maps, with this being the most coveted title.
#24
Sausage tweezers
My husband wanted me to pass him the cooking tongs.
Monday 3 years ago
Happened to a friend at a party once...though instead of inventing a new word she just clicked her hands together like crab claws until we got it.
Nimues Child 3 years ago
A friend of mine came up with "towel based trivet" for "oven mitt" during an improv warmup. We've all used it ever since!
Sheila Stamey 3 years ago
I once had a bad case of spoonerism while angry, and called someone a bugly itch. It's a family favorite now. Along with "stoyjick" for joystick. Oy vey.
Cara G 3 years ago
I once read a hilarious autocorrect that changed capslock to c0ckslap and now I absolutely CANNOT make my brain/mouth say it any other way, which is very often embarrassing.
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~Mochi~(She/They) 3 years ago
Oh I have a good one, My grandfather couldn't remember the word tongs either... and insisted on calling them "Thongs"
~Mochi~(She/They) 3 years ago
I don't even think he knows what a thong is lmao
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Tabitha Gorrell 3 years ago
I call them "my getters" because they help me get things off the higher shelves in the kitchen.
blue genes 2 years ago
When my daughter was 5, she forgot the word "skeleton" and, so, decided her inner workings are based around "a rope of chicken wings". I waffle between, "oh, well, yeah, that makes perfect sense" and, "child, you could not be stranger".
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#25
At a house party when this trashed bro comes up to me:
Hey man, I'm about to score. You got one of those . . . uh . . . plastic penis . . . socks?
foofoofloofy 3 years ago (edited)
You win the internet for today. Congratulations!
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Man in the ceiling 3 years ago
Truth, a lot of guys would forget or “forget.”
Load More Replies... Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent 3 years ago
In that state I'm not sure sex is ever a good idea! Also side note, my old (female) boss at work used to call plastic wallets to put paperwork in "paper condoms". She knew that's not what they were called, she was English, she just thought it was funny to shout across the office - "Can you bring me a condom for these files please?" I do miss her, she was brilliant.
Ramona Jackson 3 years ago
Always practice safe paperwork. Wear a condom everywhere.
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#26
I couldn't remember "oven mitt" so I called it "heat gauntlet." I really like the word gauntlet.
SheamusFan1987 3 years ago
Heat Gauntlet: Makes a killer casserole and deflects a longsword blow all in one XP
Mtg Wolfie 3 years ago
A buddy of mine has been playing around with metallurgy. I do leathercrafting. So one day, he asked me if I could make an oven mitt. Sure, not a problem. First time, but I'll figure it out. Anyhow, I make a leather oven mitt with intricate designs down the back and silicon on the front side. I give it to him. 3 weeks later, he shows it to me. He made a fancy chainmail backing for it. Apparently his original plan called for about twice as many rings, but because he didn't want to block the art I put on it, he lightened the load, so the art could still be seen. Easily the most badass oven mitt I've ever seen now.
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Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
When I couldn't remember "oven mitt," I called it a "hot hands," but I like "heat gauntlet" better.
Nimues Child 3 years ago
I should've save my "towel based trivet" comment for here...where it belongs.
#27
My buddy couldn't find the world for lungs, came up with breath sacks.
Andrea Stone 3 years ago
This dude needs furosemide, IV antibiotics, and probably mechanical ventilation. Also a BNP cause his lungs and heart look like a nightmare!
#28
Yesterday, I forgot what the shade is, and it was really hot outside so I told my friend "lets chill at the dark place"
Jihana 3 years ago
As a non native speaker, could someone tell what the difference between shade and shadow is? Honest question.
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
Shade is what's created when something blocks the path of light. A shadow is shade created by a living creature or moving object.
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raincloud the whalien 2 years ago (edited)
"lets chill at the dark place" i'm not sure why but that's strangely terrifying
Drew Losure-McDermott 3 years ago
This is so chuunibyou. "Come, my colleagues, let us conspire in the dark place, misunderstood and ostracized by the overbearing daystar!"
Nemo 3 years ago
By choice? As a goth with a hangover I am but if it’s mental that's a place you don't want to be and I hope it gets better soon
Load More Replies... #29
Compressed Horse for pony. He was a foreign exchange student from Germany.
Monday 3 years ago
that just makes it seem like a trap. I often doubt myself most on words that are exactly the same between two languages.
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royal_antelope 3 years ago
best thing about this: the German word for pony is actually ... pony. (pronounced a bit differently though. more like "ponnie")
Kathi Schäffer 3 years ago
We could adopt that into German. I'll be using "komprimiertes Pferd" from now on 😄😉
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
For the life of me, I can't understand why Germans don't call ponies 'Pferdchen'. 'Pony' also means 'bangs' in German, which is confusing.
Amy Taylor 3 years ago
I legit had a friend who didn't know that a pony wasn't a baby horse until well into her 30's lol
Bored Retsuko 3 years ago (edited)
Among equestrians, the word "Kleinpferd" (small horse) exists in German, too, meaning a pony of a very specific size (slightly too big to call pony).
#30
I once referred to a flyswatter as a "bug spatula" when the name escaped me .
Debbie Burns 3 years ago
Did this particular spatula as shown in the above photo actually COME like this or was this created by the owner of the said spatula? Never seen one so oddly shaped
#31
Breakfast soup. (The word he was looking for was cereal.)
Markus Holstein 3 years ago
I read that in Homer Simpson's voice for some reason
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Seanette Blaylock 3 years ago
As far as I'm concerned, anything that seems appetizing and fits your time/energy/motivation can be breakfast (or any other meal).
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Cynthia Levy 3 years ago
My mom forgot how to say tamales. She called them tammi-lammies. She never lived that one down.
Earlene Smith 3 years ago
That will go well with the “Pop Tart machine” (what my husband called the toaster when he couldn’t remember, well, toaster).
Emmie Corwin 2 years ago
i lit just ate breakfast soup. also is cereal soup? asking for a friend, obvi, totally know the answer. Its... OK I LIED PLZ HELP I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD KNOW THISSSSS
#32
This came to my mind when I read a post on Reddit where a girl called a feather a "bird leaf".
Rebekka Rasmussen 3 years ago
I have this game on the phone where there's leaves and i keep calling them feathers.. (in my mind)
#33
I couldn’t think of the word “robe” so I asked a friend if they’d seen my “towel jacket.”
Julie Frasher 3 years ago
“Towel Jacket” Sounds fancy. Like I need to raise one eyebrow when I say it.
raincloud the whalien 2 years ago
*leans on arm of chair stylishly, letting the end of my towel jacket split up to my knees* *half-smiles* *"So...what do you think of it, ที่รัก (tîi-rák)? James said he preferred the black one, but I think this has a bit more...cleanliness."* *stirs some bizarre drink*
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#34
I can't remember the word "lid" half the time. So during work I sometimes run to the back in search of "drink hats". I get weird looks a lot...
Gianna B D 3 years ago
I'm often guilty of calling lids hats, as in "Where's the pasta pot's hat?"
Lazarus Long 3 years ago
Really? You want us all to believe that several times you have "forgotten" the word lid BUT you've managed to remember the clever sounding tell replacement name everytime you've forgotten the word lid. It could happen once or maybe twice but to further the word lid "half of the time" sounds completely made up. They are giving you funny looks because you don't look absentmindedly cute when it happens. You look like an idiot that is trying way too hard to be clever.
Aviva 3 years ago
I have to say that it is something possible.I keep forgeting the word "cruel" in my language. I remember this word in another language,and the meaning too, but not in my own. I needed to google translate it and write it down for myself,it stays in my mind for several hours and then,just disappears again.Only that word...
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#35
I once called toothpase "tooth soap" because it was 8 am and I was not ready for life.
Seán Baron 3 years ago
No one is ready for life at that u godly hour. And those who say they are are either lying or psychopaths.
Antonia Mazzilli 3 years ago
I'm up at 6:30 every morning and I try not to talk until at least 8 cuz I know if I do I'll regret it...
James Tomlinson 3 years ago
My wife often calls brushing her teeth, washing her teeth, which is a direct translation from Spanish.
Robyn Stephens 3 years ago (edited)
Just try getting up at 5:30am for work and see if you are ready then. I wonder what you call things at that time?
#36
My girlfriend was frustrated because she couldn't find her shoehorn, and then said loudly "WHERE IS THE BOOT SPOON".
Show thyself 3 years ago
In germany the "tounge" would be the piece of fabric that lies right beneath the laces. Now I most definitely will provoke a conversation about shoe-spoons/-tounges/-horns between my guests tomorrow
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Zdenka Dsouza 3 years ago
Oh so shoehorn it is called! I always call it a shoe spoon too and never been corrected
Leonora Aetos 2 years ago
I thought it was called a shoe spoon/sword until I read this. Ours is long like a sword.
#37
I was playing pictionary with some friends, and the prompt was skunk, so I did my best to draw a skunk. My friend yelled "STINKY CAT"
Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent 3 years ago
I think you mean Smelly Cat. (It's not your fault)
#38
I met this french girl on a recent trip, and she called it a "muscle hangover", when looking for the word sore.
Chris Kane 3 years ago
Was she referring to DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), the pain you get the day after working out? A lot of people don't know what that is.
#39
Toilet paper = s**t tickets
setsuriseikou 3 years ago
I once read a story of a school where TP was such a treasure (pre-lockdown) that it wasn't kept in the stalls but instead dispensed to students by teachers in classrooms, strictly 2 pieces per person. So yeah, tickets it is.
#40
My mum always says wanky candles instead of Yankee candles. She's always horrified when she does it.
James Tomlinson 3 years ago
My wife mispronounced the flower Vinca aka Periwinkles, periwrinkles....It is what we call them now. We live in Texas and a friend of mine would only call when she would breakup with a boyfriend. Anyway, my wife said we need to introduce he to an "oil executive", an "Oil Racoon"...
Samantha Casey 3 years ago
I was talking to my daughter one day and I couldn't remember the word for ankle so I called it a leg wrist......she has never let me live it down
Michelle Staples 3 years ago
Couldn’t think of the word “fish”…so I asked my son to “feed the wet things”. Thus they shall remain forevermore.
raincloud the whalien 2 years ago (edited)
It's a popular brand of America candles (edit: American candles k k k k k) (edit edit ㄱ ㄱ ㄱ ㄱ ㄱ denotes laughter in korean but just looks weird romanized)
Load More Replies... Jill McElroy 3 years ago
It’s a super popular brand of candles in the US. Look them up online.
Load More Replies... When grappling with moments of forgotten words, some strategies and insights can help ease the frustration.
For a deeper understanding of the underlying mental blocks during such "tip-of-the-tongue" experiences, you might find it useful to explore some psychological explanations and examples in how the mind occasionally blanks on basic vocabulary.
#41
I've got a little cousin who's quietly a genius at this. When she was three and just learning the names of different body parts, she got a cut on her ankle playing outside and was trying to tell me. Only she couldn't remember the name for ankle -- so it became her "foot wrist". The exact reverse happened a few weeks later, when she couldn't remember the name for her elbow, so she called it her "arm's knee". By far my favorite example, though, is when she couldn't remember the word "remember". She told me a knock-knock joke, and then when I asked her where she got it, she stared at me blankly for a second and said, "...I found it in my head." "You made it up?" I asked her. "No...I heard it somewhere, and put it in my head, and then I went in there and found it again." It's absolutely fantastic. She's six now, and as she learns more words it's starting to happen less and less, but every once in a while she'll whip out a gem. She's probably created more running jokes in our family in her six years than I have in my two decades.
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
This is one of the best things about toddlers - the crazy things they say.
Izzy Curer 3 years ago (edited)
Once when my little sister was just learning to talk, she saw a calf and started pointing excitedly at it to show all of us. She didn't know the word, so she called it a 'puppy cow'.
MelonCloud 3 years ago
When I was young I always forgot the word for helicopter, so I called it (translated to English) an airplane with a merry-go-round. I made it much more complicated
Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 3 years ago
My dad always tells me when he can't remember something that the little man in his head is searching through the file cabinets to find it or the little guy is searching for it.
Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 3 years ago
"...and then I went in there and found it again." Haahaa
Evi Grimes 3 years ago
When I stubbed my toes recently, I said "ow my bottom fingers" because f**k thinking when you stub your toes.
GoddessOdd 3 years ago
When my nephew was three he called a spray bottle a "geishee" because of the sound they make when you spray them. My family still calls them geishee bottles. Kids are the best at this.
Demon Child 3 years ago
I’ve said foot wrist too! Except I think I’m a lil old to forget what an ankle is..
#42
I once called the Navy "the aqua army".
Judy Reynolds 3 years ago
I got this mental image of all these people in pale blue/turquoise uniforms!
#43
Years ago my boyfriend and I were super baked and he was just like "okay so I know this probably isn't the right word, but can you hand me the volume squirter" he meant tv remote, but the new name stuck. Since then we've always referred to it as a volume squirter.
Chill guy havin a chill day 3 years ago
"Jimmy, just use the power squirter till he gives it up."
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Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 3 years ago
I like this one! My whole vocabulary is going to change with this series of posts!
Load More Replies... #44
My unmedicated ADHD (while preggo) caused my mouth to outpace my vocabulary quite often.
I wish I could remember more of them, but my husband won't let me live down "time circle." I meant clock.
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
Can confirm that ADHD causes this to happen a lot. Also, sometimes when I can't remember the word, but don't consciously realize that I can't remember the word, my brain will use some other word that starts with the same letter. The result? My daughter and I leaving our house to drive somewhere, and me saying to her, "Hey, stop at the microwave so I can get the mail."
#45
Called a labcoat a Science Vest.
#46
My little brother who was around 6 at the time really wanted popcorn, and he asked if he could have some of the "boom puffs."
Emmett O'Brian 3 years ago
Totopoco is the (Mayan? Aztec? Can't remember) word for the sound of popcorn popping. I love that word.
#47
I've had a mild stroke so sometimes it's hard to think of the right word. My favorite one is "water rope" for garden hose.
SheamusFan1987 3 years ago
Sorry about your stroke, hope you are and will continue to do well. But I like the term 'water rope'. Perhaps in time we could just call it 'water lasso' instead because the hose is coiled?
Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent 3 years ago
I feel like this is how most words came about in the first place so it's kinda cool. See a thing which needs a name.... describe what it does, and badda boom badda bing, you have yourself a water rope.
#48
Hush puppies were once called "shut up dogs" by my cousin when she couldn't think of the name.
#49
Called a fan the air blender.
Cerise Hood 3 years ago
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the fan nation attacked
#50
I work as a gunsmith...I forgot what calipers were called one day...they are now forever known as "measurydoos"
Amy Taylor 3 years ago
My Italian grandpa called things he forgot the names for the "howdyacallit" or the "whoseywhatsit"
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
My family use 'thigy-ma-jig' and 'whatch-ama-call-it'
Load More Replies... GoddessOdd 3 years ago
I drew maps for a living, and a coworker came and asked me for my measure-round because she couldn't remember protractor. I think measure -rounds and measurydoos belong together.
Sami-Jo Ross 3 years ago
I mean, if I can't remember what something is called, I just call it a "thingy-doo" until I remember.
#51
I once worked with a German guy who asked me what the English word for 'a snail without a house on his back'. Took me a while to work out he meant a slug. German for slug translates to naked snail.
Vanessa Richardson 3 years ago
Just in case anyone was curious, slugs are any gastropod mollusk that does not have an external shell—some have internal ones though—while snails make their own shells by secreting layers of calcium carbonate which then hardens. So in general, a snail can be referred to as a slug if it is, for some reason, without a shell. A slug, however, can never be a snail, as it will never have an outer shell.
Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 3 years ago
I agree, I was thinking about learning it, as my heritage is German, but now I'm convinced. I'm learning German!
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#52
Stuck in traffic. SO called to ask how it was. I said it was a*s to mouth over here. I couldn’t remember the phrase “bumper to bumper”.
DC 3 years ago
... always a mess when these show up on the Autobahn ... well, we run them over, then they're flat enough to be run over at 150 mph until they're fully embedded. No need to thank us, we skip the speed limiting to do exactly that.
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#53
The other week I completely forgot the word "aquarium". My best guess was "fish zoo".
#54
I work with a Spaniard who was NOT familiar with some or local fauna. OK if you're in the city -- bad if you are living at a children's camp. Someone dropped a toad down his back. Once he extracted himself from the visitor, he asked: "What do you call this thing? This jumping pile of s**t!"
GoddessOdd 3 years ago
I had visitors from up north, who in a panic asked me if the "tank possums" are dangerous. He meant armadillos.
#55
When my girlfriend was stoned she asked "how do I turn on the umbrella sticks" when talking about windshield wipers
Brian Meyer 3 years ago
Um. If she's stoned (especially THAT stoned), she shouldn't have been in a position to need to turn on the "umbrella sticks." I don't judge people who enjoy recreational drugs, but PLEASE don't drive stoned.
Rachel Hall 3 years ago
I came to say that! Do not ever drive under the influence
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#56
I recently struggled to think of the word ‘Oval’, so instead landed on “the circle rectangle”.
The Holy Penguin 3 years ago
They're both the "well yes but, actually no" of shapes
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#57
My friend once called his shoulder a 'high elbow'...
#58
A friend of mine once said "plane station" instead of airport
Joe Reaves 3 years ago
When I did my German A-Levels part of the test was you were given an article in english and you had to summarise it in German and then answer questions on it. The girl before me had one about a new airport being built. She couldn't remember the German word for airport (Flighafen) so she had to spend the entire exam referring to it as 'the place where aeroplanes go to land'. Her first words on coming out were - what the hell is German for airport?
#59
I mixed up Hamburger Helper and ended up calling it Beef Aid.
El Dee 3 years ago
I have no idea what Hamburger Helper is. I'm assuming it's mince in a can??
Phoenix Storm 3 years ago
It's this heavenly brand sold in America at least that is like an entire pasta or something but you just have to add hamburger meat
Load More Replies... #60
My dad can't pronounce aluminum, but he tries. One time, he was asking for the "aluminum foil" because he was cooking, got sick of stuttering over the pronunciation, and just went with, "Kiddo, can you hand me the shiny paper?"
Phoenix Storm 3 years ago
Yall just spell it differently, we spell it aluminum, yall spell it aluminium, so technically we are both right lol
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GirlFriday 3 years ago
My grandmother calls everything in the kitchen "paper". We have kitchen papers instead of paper towels, plastic paper instead of clingfilm or Saran wrap, foil paper, baking paper, etc.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
We still use that interchangeably with al foil or just foil.
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#61
My friend couldn't remember the word "cauldron" one Halloween and referred to it as a "witch bucket."
PalmKitty 3 years ago
Two witchesss chilling in a buckettttt five feet apart because they’re not gay
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#62
My dad let me watch him work on things in the garage when I was little. He thought it was hilarious that I called sparks "fire crumbs" When my brother was little, we were watching some medical show, and he forgot the term for eye sockets. Instead, he called them "eye ditches".
#63
We were planning to go watch fireworks while the sun was going down, but I couldn't for the life of me think what the word was, so I ended up going with "Last call for the Sun" as me and my friends have all worked in clubs and bars, still can't live that down.
Benita Valdez 3 years ago
When I let my dogs out to pee at night before bed I tell them it's last call
#64
I once called a Ferris wheel a "vertical carousel" because I forgot the name.
#65
I was trying to say microscope, but I accidentally called it a reverse telescope..
Drew Losure-McDermott 3 years ago
Since that's how they actually function, I think this is clever.
#66
Didn't know what to call people from Japan as a kid so I decided on "Japanicans".
Random Panda 3 years ago (edited)
Now you match the girl from the other post calling anime "japanimations"
Drew Losure-McDermott 3 years ago
when I was very young I got into anime and I was trying to talk about it with my dad and I said "japanimation" and he asked me not to call it that - his rationale was that it could confuse people into thinking I was saying two words, "j*p animation" and he didn't want me to accidentally get into the habit of using a slur
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Casey Burns 3 years ago
Dang shenanigans from those Japanicans need to really learn new anger management.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
When I was growing up we all purposely used Canadia because it sounded better!
Load More Replies... Grace Austin 3 years ago
One time we were learning about the Romans in my history class, and I forgot the name for Italians. I called them Italy-aic-ians. 😂
#67
My girlfriend worked at the goodwill and someone had donated a trumpet. But none of her coworkers knew what it was called and she told them it was a trumpet. But for some reason they didn't believe her.
Despite her best efforts, they eventually labeled it "Brass thing" and sold it that way.
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
Could have been a time before the internet. Yes, kids, there was a time before the internet. If you'll excuse me, I need to update my AARP membership.
Load More Replies... Brian Meyer 3 years ago
She. didn't. BELIEVE THEM? "Brass thing" is not the craziest part of the story!
#68
Dizzy daisy instead of lazy Susan.
#69
My boyfriend came across a wand on my desk the first time he visited my house. He kinda looked at it, held it up, and goes "did you make this....this *wizarding stick*?" My mom, who was also present, still hadn't let him live it down three years later.
#70
Arm knees.
#71
My best flub was when I couldn't remember the word for water, so I called it drinking fluid.
Yoga Kitty 3 years ago
You will be served either whisky or vodka then, depending on where you are...
Load More Replies... #72
My ex and I were hanging out one day trying to figure out what we wanted to do. I suggested maybe a walk in the park, a trip to the zoo, etc. when all of a sudden his face lit up and he gleefully asked "WHAT ABOUT THE AQUA MUSEUM?!" It took me a good few seconds to realize he meant the "aquarium".
#73
My sister was telling me about how shitty periods are and she wanted to tell me that I would understand when I got a *daughter* but instead she said "youll get it when you get a girlchild".
#74
I forgot what the letter G was called the other day so i referred to it as the 'round K'. No, I don't know where I was going with that either.
#75
Couldn't remember "camouflage," so I said "Army pattern" instead. Felt like an idiot when my friends corrected me.
Drew Losure-McDermott 3 years ago
yanno... the thing is, if you're referring to a specific pattern, army pattern might have been a more accurate term since camouflage can refer to so much more than a printed pattern. "Army Pattern" at least gets you a smaller niche of options, since camouflage can refer to so much. I suppose context is important in this situation though.
#76
I was out drinking with a Dutch friend of mine. He forgot the word for sidewalk and called it a pedestrian road.
Marik 3 years ago
Seems correct. Don't know the dutch word, but it might be nearly the same as the german version -- Fußgängerweg (2 words "pedestrian path" or 3 words "foot walker path")
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Technically pedestrian footpath or pedestrian walkways are used in English, because we shorten it to footpath in Australia.
#77
"what is it Jewish people wear on their heads.... Hmm ... Oh, Yamahas" Bob at work last week. He also streams neckflick for movies and TV shows. Bob just turned 60
Amy Taylor 3 years ago
My friend's dad has a bunch of them.. Michelob tires, Mucho Milk for Mocha Mix...lol
SheamusFan1987 3 years ago (edited)
I think he meant yarmulke aka Jewish skullcap. Just looked it up, same headgear different names.
Load More Replies... #78
Buddy once called a guitar a "funky lookin' violin" and a raven a "huge a*s crow"
#79
Someone from my local subreddit asked her doctor for "anti-baby".
#80
Look-in-your-ear thing. Listen-to-your-heart thing. Arm-hugging-blood-pressure-pump thing. Things you might find in a doctor's office.
#81
When I was learning French, I couldn't remember the word for "toes", so I called them "the fingers of the foot."
Edit: the French word is "orteil"
#82
I once forgot the word for "letters" and asked my coworker how many alphabet numbers a word had.
censorshipsucks 3 years ago
I've often heard people refer to letters as "alphabets", especially if they are not first-language English
Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 3 years ago
We call the letters the alphabet, so that's pretty accurate actually.
Load More Replies... #83
My wife once referred to a portrait as "Frank Funyion" because she couldn't remember the name "Paul Bunyan" Frank Funyion is now forever immortalized in our household in a painting.
#84
Once had a friend who called an ambulance a hospital van.
Angie Chiyoko 3 years ago
weeee-wooooooouuuuuu weeeeee-woooooooooouuuuuuu
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#85
Spinach is "the good lettuce."
GoddessOdd 3 years ago
My friend's gran called it "soft lettuce" which referred pretty much to any greens that didn't grow in a head, spinach, spring mix, etc.
#86
I have a few words that I've done this with. My girlfriends favorite is when I called the humidifier the air waterer.
#87
Guy I worked with referred to Planned Parenthood as "Planet Parent Hollywood" in all ernesty.
Seán Baron 3 years ago
Do they play all of Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies that involve kids and being pregnant?
#88
My boyfriend does this all the time. My favourite ever was "oil boiled" for deep fried but others have included "letter house" (envelope), "potato claws" (kitchen tongs) and "bread cooker" (toaster).
#89
Someone once referred to an apostrophe as a "high comma." Still makes me giggle.
#90
My girlfriend called a gate, “the fence door.”
#91
Couldnt rember knuckle, so i called them finger elbows
#93
My mum who speaks English and couple of Chinese dialects equally well has these: Animal touch farm = petting zoo Car immobiliser stick = steering lock
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I'm pretty sure car immobiliser stick is one of the names for a steering lock (not that I can be sure, it's at least 10 years since I've seen anyone use one)
#94
English is my boyfriend's second language and while he's fluent, he sometimes directly translates from his native language into English when he can't remember the specific word for something. The latest one is "water cooker" when really he means "kettle". I've stopped correcting him because I think it's great.
Jude Last 3 years ago (edited)
I took Latin in school and it makes it easy for me to figure out a lot of written romance language words. And sometimes, if the person is speaking slow enough, spoken words. Now I think I want to take German because a lot of their words are so descriptive! Edit: grammar
T. D. Bostick 3 years ago
Yeah, man. Come to Germany. This place is literally crawling with 'em!
Load More Replies... #95
My friend called the bleachers "baseball stairs". He's never living that down.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Why are they called bleechers? In Australia we call them stands (even though you sit lol)
floof 3 years ago (edited)
"Bleachers" are smaller wooden (grand)stands, so-called back in the late 1800s-early1900s because the wood would be bleached by the sun. The terms are pretty much interchangeable in the US now.
Load More Replies... #96
English is my boyfriend's second language, frequently he directly translates words if he doesn't know the English version and it usually gets him by. My favorite was when he inquired about the "Wine Berries".
Scotira 3 years ago
Learn something new every day on BP about your own language. Just googled it and Weinbeere is the name for a single piece and Weintraube for the whole bunch 😅 though Weinbeere for me is a raisin.
Load More Replies... Pineapple Incident 3 years ago
In Finnish, wine berry would be currant (as in redcurrant, blackcurrant): viini(wine)marja(berry)
Just a ray of f'ing sunshine 3 years ago
I believe this whole thread shows one reason why English (at least American English) is such tough language to learn. Everyone else calls it like it is, we had to make up weird names for things... lol
#97
Friend is Norwegian. She couldn't remember the English word for "monkey." Apparently the direct translation of monkey in Norwegian is "ape-cat." We were watching Harry Potter the other day. Dumbledore is "Bumbletwist." Another favorite is "Grass Dude," or pineapple.
Leif Tore Markman 3 years ago
Actually "Grass Dude" is pumpkin. Pineapple in Norwegian is ananas.
Eat Dirt Crow 3 years ago
Basically, every language except for English calls it ananas.
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TheElderNom 3 years ago
Strange, I recall that Dumbledore is Humlesnurr in Norwegian. Oh, right, the literal translation is indeed bumble twist. In any case watching Harry Potter in Norwegian is hilarious since everything sounds so cute.
#98
I couldn't remember my wifes sisters name or spit out the word "sister" so I just referred to her as "That girl you're related to that's younger than you".
Drew Losure-McDermott 3 years ago
Had OP said that, the post would likely refer to an ex-wife...
Load More Replies... #99
My mother needed to clean a tile floor. She wondered if there was some contraption, like a "pole with bristle sticks on the end." We showed her a broom.
GoddessOdd 3 years ago
she could have also meant a scrub brush. I have a scrub brush on a long handle that my niece called a scrubby stick.
jkenby 3 years ago
The whole point of this is funny names for objects when you can't remember the word. I imagine she knows what a broom is.
Load More Replies... #100
During chemistry, a friend of mine asked me to pass him the 'temperature rod'. He wasn't trying to crack a joke so we all stared at him confusingly. Turns out, he was referring to the thermometer
Isabel Care 3 years ago
These guys are so unhip, their bums have fallen off
Load More Replies... #101
When hungry a friend once asked if we had any of "those eat things".
#102
When my son was around 3 he made up all sorts of names. Some of my favorites were: Swim dog = Sea Lion Swim Pig = hippopotamus Ice Cream Cheerios = Fruit Loops Halloween Dog = Frankenweenie
#103
My boyfriend's mum once called a triangle a 'squared off diamond'
#104
My mate once referred to stairs as "the walk-down"
#105
Once had someone order a drink from me, but they struggled when I asked if they needed a garnish. They settled for "green lemon", they were thinking of lime. Edit: I guess lime is literally translated as green lemon in many languages, so that’s neat.
#106
My dad accidentally called Chipotle Chipoodle once. He got very angry when my brother and I wouldn’t stop laughing at him.
BAWK BAWK BAKAW 3 years ago
idk if there's any star trek voyager fans here, but my dad called Chakotay "Commander Chipotle" once
LH25 3 years ago
I love Voyager, and now when I watch the reruns that is the name I will be thinking.
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Violet Jensen 3 years ago
My bff isn’t a native speaker, and one day we were talking about apple (food) products and she talks about her mom making “scrambled apples”. Folks, she meant applesauce
#107
"Coldness quarantine" when I forgot the name for a cooler. I hadn't even had any of the alcohol that was in the cooler, my brain just decided to stop working for a second...
#108
My dad just referred to my mum's cup of coffee as hot juice.
What do you think ?
That'sEndorable 3 years ago (edited)
I have a touch of aphasia. Usually harmless, but I didn't realize until I went to a neurologist that my rhythm of speech betrays how often I have to search for words. My ADD medicine helps, and BEFORE I was diagnosed, I think people were too nice to laugh, but sometimes my word-grab fails would crack ME up at least. (McChicken = Bird Burger.) Often they seemed comically pretentious, because they were just random words that I came up short for; it's not like I had a poor vocabulary (chicken nuggets = chicken medallions). They weren't always catchy (shoe = work sneaker), but once in a while, I'd get frustrated and come up with something outrageous (cat = house weasel, fudge = poop candy). "Thingy" still is a common word. (spatula = flippy thingy).
That'sEndorable 3 years ago
I just remembered this one (thanks to another post). Ignorance, not really aphasia, but when I was staying in the Deep South long enough to enroll in school as a kid, and first exposed to Southern-fried steak, I called it "beef schnitzel." I'm actually pretty sure I'm right.
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Sheena Morrison 3 years ago
My sister couldn't remember Benedict Cumberbatch's name. He is forever now known as Jason Cummerbund.
Marta Gaj 3 years ago
still better than „this Cucumber guy” as my MIL call poor Benedict :p
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DuchessDegu 3 years ago
My mum is a specialist on alternative names! Beach deodorant (sun cream), timothy (thermometer), button stick (any remote), tree fox (squirrel)
CairaRose79 3 years ago
Once when I was closing at a fast food place one of my co-workers came over and asked what I still had to do. I couldn't remember the word so I said "I still need to use the wet broom." The look of horror that came over everyone's faces as they realized they also didn't remember the word was priceless. The shift lead came out of the office from putting the tills away for the night and was thoroughly unimpressed that none of us could remember the word "Mop".
Seanette Blaylock 3 years ago
Yours works quite well to describe it, I think.
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mama loves pugs 3 years ago
This is so frustrating. I can't access half of these articles because they won't open up. I've cleared my cache. What else can I do apart from deleting the app?
Vicky Zar 3 years ago
Use the browser version. It works better than the app in so many ways. You can edit your comments and when you click on a notification you got, it will lead you straight to the comment it was for instead of having to search for it.
Load More Replies...
Andrea Purzycki 3 years ago
I love Sour Patch Kids. I couldn't remember the name once and called them Spicy Children instead. Now I always call them Spicy Children. I think that I am hilarious. My husband does not.
Christine 3 years ago
Your husband is grossly misinformed. I like that so much I just might use it in the future! (If I can remember to remember, that is... and that's a *big* if)
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Peppermallow 3 years ago
i still get harassed for ‘stem things’ when i blanked on the word flower in my youth
Chenga Animates 3 years ago
reminds me of the time I forgot the word for router and called it a "reactor," "receptor," and "realtor" before finally giving up and asking for the word for "the thing that produces wi-fi"
That'sEndorable 3 years ago (edited)
I have a touch of aphasia. Usually harmless, but I didn't realize until I went to a neurologist that my rhythm of speech betrays how often I have to search for words. My ADD medicine helps, and BEFORE I was diagnosed, I think people were too nice to laugh, but sometimes my word-grab fails would crack ME up at least. (McChicken = Bird Burger.) Often they seemed comically pretentious, because they were just random words that I came up short for; it's not like I had a poor vocabulary (chicken nuggets = chicken medallions). They weren't always catchy (shoe = work sneaker), but once in a while, I'd get frustrated and come up with something outrageous (cat = house weasel, fudge = poop candy). "Thingy" still is a common word. (spatula = flippy thingy).
That'sEndorable 3 years ago
I just remembered this one (thanks to another post). Ignorance, not really aphasia, but when I was staying in the Deep South long enough to enroll in school as a kid, and first exposed to Southern-fried steak, I called it "beef schnitzel." I'm actually pretty sure I'm right.
Load More Replies... Sheena Morrison 3 years ago
My sister couldn't remember Benedict Cumberbatch's name. He is forever now known as Jason Cummerbund.
Marta Gaj 3 years ago
still better than „this Cucumber guy” as my MIL call poor Benedict :p
Load More Replies... DuchessDegu 3 years ago
My mum is a specialist on alternative names! Beach deodorant (sun cream), timothy (thermometer), button stick (any remote), tree fox (squirrel)
CairaRose79 3 years ago
Once when I was closing at a fast food place one of my co-workers came over and asked what I still had to do. I couldn't remember the word so I said "I still need to use the wet broom." The look of horror that came over everyone's faces as they realized they also didn't remember the word was priceless. The shift lead came out of the office from putting the tills away for the night and was thoroughly unimpressed that none of us could remember the word "Mop".
Seanette Blaylock 3 years ago
Yours works quite well to describe it, I think.
Load More Replies... mama loves pugs 3 years ago
This is so frustrating. I can't access half of these articles because they won't open up. I've cleared my cache. What else can I do apart from deleting the app?
Vicky Zar 3 years ago
Use the browser version. It works better than the app in so many ways. You can edit your comments and when you click on a notification you got, it will lead you straight to the comment it was for instead of having to search for it.
Load More Replies... Andrea Purzycki 3 years ago
I love Sour Patch Kids. I couldn't remember the name once and called them Spicy Children instead. Now I always call them Spicy Children. I think that I am hilarious. My husband does not.
Christine 3 years ago
Your husband is grossly misinformed. I like that so much I just might use it in the future! (If I can remember to remember, that is... and that's a *big* if)
Load More Replies... Peppermallow 3 years ago
i still get harassed for ‘stem things’ when i blanked on the word flower in my youth
Chenga Animates 3 years ago
reminds me of the time I forgot the word for router and called it a "reactor," "receptor," and "realtor" before finally giving up and asking for the word for "the thing that produces wi-fi"
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